Cursed Butterflies
by increak96
Summary: It's a sunny peaceful day in Skyloft. So what if Mama and Papa said to stay away from the edge? No harm can come from chasing a little Blessed Butterfly... right? OC, Pre-Game, no pairing, more details inside, GO! :D ONESHOT!
1. Chapter 1

**A\N: Another LOZ fanfic! *whispers* I think I'm getting addicted! *claps hands together* Anyways! The plot bunnies were eating out my brains and they demanded I write out Shai's past! I will say that I'm not sure this story will make sense if you haven't read or started reading my other LOZ fic 'Rainbows'.**

**The plan is that this is just a oneshot, but if I get enough people ask me to continue. I may be able to pull together another chapter, but not much more.**

**I don't own anything! ENJOY!  
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><p>Blessed butterflies were pretty. Very, very pretty in that peaceful way they fluttered about, following joyful sounds and seeking out nectar to thrive on. Quite fascinating in the way the moved and huddled about. He could watch them for hours on end, and honestly, what were chores when you had a sight like this before you?<p>

"Hey, where are you goin'?" he asked one little butterfly as it strayed from the bunch. Getting up and following the small insect, he giggled to himself.

He was not a particularly normal boy, to say the least. He was quiet and reserved, he did not like to kill plants and animals, and he loved to help the adults with their work. And when he helped, he didn't just play with their grown-up tools and get scolded like the other boys. He always worked hard, and sometimes he got pieces of candy as a reward!

But regardless, he was by no means following the butterfly to kill it and pin its wings on a wall. He was following it because it was pretty, and pretty things always grabbed his attention.

"Come here little bug. I wanna see you up close!"

He stopped outside the statue of the goddess and stared at the area the butterfly had gone. It was a long way down to the next platform, but if he was careful.

"I wanna go, but Mama said to stay up here…" He glanced over his shoulder, and then down to the hovering blue creature that seemed to be waiting for him. "She won't mind. It'll just be real quick!"

Gathering up all the courage he had in his little six-year-old body, he jumped off of the edge and landed on the grass below.

"Where're you gonna go now?"

The butterfly started off again, the little boy now on its tail and watching intently. It hovered and swayed, occasionally doing a little circle, but it obviously had a destination in mind, and the boy was determined to figure out what it was.

Directly after he inched across a small ledge, he got his answer when the little being flew into a particularly shady nook between two sides of the cliffs. A soft chuckled permeated the air, and the boy felt a chill go into his veins as he backed away from the sound.

"H…Hullo?"

"Why, hello, skychild."

The voice sounded soft and gentle, but the Skyloftian was not a stupid boy, and he could hear the underlying malice. Briefly, he thought of asking the man who he was, but then decided better of it and started back for home. He made a few steps, but then the curiosity won over, and he head back, but then stopped.

The laughter sounded again. "Humans are fickle creatures, aren't they?"

"Who… who are you?"

The person stepped out from the shadows, revealing himself to be a tall man with white hair, black eyes, and the most outlandish attire the young human had ever seen. The thing that confused the boy most, however, was the pretty little butterfly perched upon the man's pointer finger.

"My name is Ghirahim. You may call me Lord Ghirahim or Mr. Ghirahim, either one will work. May I have the sweet pleasure of knowing your name?"

The boy looked around nervously. He was alone with a strange man on an island where no one could get on or off. Where had he come from? The boy knew everyone in the town, and there were no other Skylofts that he knew of.

"M-my name is… Shaika."

Ghirahim made a face, sticking out his tongue and shaking his head. "No, no, that will never do. Shorten it to Shai, and smile when you say it. My goodness, I didn't ask you to jump off this ledge, I just asked your name."

Shaika, or Shai, blushed furiously at the comment. "I'm s-sorry." He put on a big smile and looked up at the newcomer. "My name is Shai!" he said cheerfully, and Ghirahim let out a laugh again.

"Adorable. Now, tell me, Shai. Are your parents aware of your location?"

Shai shook his head slowly. "No… I'm not supposed to be here."

"Oh?" Ghirahim tilted his head to the side curiously. "Then why did you come this way?"

Shai pointed shakily to the butterfly still balanced on the gloved hand. "I was following the butterfly."

Ghirahim crouched down, holding the insect by its wings.

"Stop it!" Shai cried, grabbing Ghirahim's wrists. "You'll hurt it!"

Ghirahim chuckled softly. "Nonsense. It's perfectly fine this way. If it were hurting, it would struggle."

Shai stopped and realized Ghirahim was right. It wasn't moving at all, other than the occasionally twitch of the antennae. It was perfectly content on the smooth finger.

"Please be gentle."

Ghirahim nodded, still smiling. Yet still, something about him scared Shai out of his mind, and he didn't know what it was or why.

"I won't hurt the little butterfly. I promise." Ghirahim got to his feet and let the creature rest in his hair as his lips curled up into a wicked grin. "You, on the other hand."

Shai jumped, hands grasping the rocks on the cliff side as he backed away, looking at the land below and realizing a jump was impossible.

"Oh, don't try to run, and don't think I couldn't sense it. You didn't trust me from the moment you laid eyes on me, skychild, and lying to your elders is a very naughty thing to do."

Shai dodged out of the way as the man tried to backhand him, but there was no way he could have seen the other one coming. It hit him full in the face and he stumbled back, not realizing where he had jumped to in his previous dodge.

His foot met air instead of land, and the rocks crumbled as he backpedaled his arms, trying to regain his balance. Ghirahim walked over and gave him a little push, but instead of being knocked backwards, Shai clung to the hand and used it to pull himself back towards safety.

"I daresay it's rude to grab other people's arms."

But Shai ignored him and refused to release his hold until he was above solid ground. "Pull me back over! Pull me back over!"

"That's enough."

Shai shook his head, squeezing tighter as Ghirahim gave him a sharp jerk, trying to pull him off with his free hand. "Please don't drop me! Please!"

"Let go you filthy brat!"

Shai used his momentary pause to swing forwards and latch onto Ghirahim's neck, wrapping his legs around the elder's torso and hanging on tight.

"Please don't throw me off the edge! Please, please, please! I don't wanna fall! I don't wanna get hurt! Please, no, Mr. Ghirahim! Don't throw me! Please!"  
>Ghirahim struggled to get the clingy boy off of his chest, but Shai had never been so terrified of the edge of Skyloft as he was in that particular moment, and Ghirahim's resistance only made him hold on tighter.<p>

"Fine!" the man suddenly exclaimed, using all of his force to throw the boy on the ground. "You want to stay with me? I'll make you wish you had fallen off the edge."

Shai screamed as pain shot up his legs and arms, holding him in place as Ghirahim stepped closer. He tried to move, to struggle or scream, but he felt so heavy… and so tired. Ghirahim held the butterfly in front of the Shai's face like before, and slowly, he lowered it so the creature's legs tickled the boy's nose.

"This butterfly… it is the same color as your eyes. And your brown hair is far too plain. I'll have to change you up if you're going to be my slave."

Shai whimpered softly. What was a slave? Such things did not exist in Skyloft. It was a peaceful, happy place of family and friends. Slaves sounded like bad things, and Shai didn't want to be a slave. He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but to no avail.

"Aw, you're adorable." He put a finger to Shai's lips, releasing the butterfly and letting it rest on the child's face. "There's no point in arguing. You're my slave now, and as such, I must make you useful. This may hurt a little…" The butterfly started to glow blue and then faded to purple and then red. "Or a lot."

Ghirahim smirked, and Shai shut his eyes, truly terrified that the cold being would hurt him or throw him off the edge now that he could not move. He waited a few moments, but the only thing he felt was an odd tingling and cooling, yet burning sensation seeping into his pores. He closed his eyes tighter, but the feeling did not go away, and with reluctance, he opened them to see the butterfly now a transparent black that was sinking into his face.

"Ah… ah, ow! Ow!" Suddenly able to speak and move, he slammed his hands over his eyes, rubbing furiously. "That hurts!" he wailed, eyes stinging as if dirt were now in them. "That hurts, that hurts!"

"Don't rub them. It'll hurt more, and it might not work."

Shai ignored him and went with his six-year-old logic. That logic said 'keep rubbing!', and he did.

"I said stop it, skychild. You're irritating me."

Ghirahim snapped his fingers, and once again Shai was paralyzed.

"Ow! Mr. Ghirahim it hurts! It hurts! Make is stop!"

Shai was now screaming and thrashing against whatever invisible force was holding him, and his eyes were burning badly. His head had started throbbing wildly, too, and this only made him cry more, wondering what made the man on the cliff so mean.

"Owww! Owww! Mr. Ghirahim!"

"I'm ignoooooring you." Ghirahim sauntered to the ledge and filed his nails, looking out over the endless span of clouds.

"Please! Make it stop! Mr. Ghirahim!"  
>"Ignoring."<p>

"Mr. Ghirahim!"

"Nope."

"Master Ghirahim!" he screamed, arching his back and twisting in the holds that kept him from alleviating his pain. He barely noticed his slip of the tongue, but it didn't make much of a difference anyways. Or… did it?

Shai looked up as he felt slight pressure on the top of his head.

"M…M…" What had he said before? "Master Ghirahim?"

"Shh… it'll all be over soon."

Shai felt little comfort in those words, and he questioned the theory. "Why can't it be over now?"  
>Ghirahim laughed, raising the boy up so he was standing and giving him a good onceover before nodding his head. "Almost done. And when it is, you and I have a lot to talk about. I need to teach you how to clean up around my castle, and make tea, and cook meals, and use a sword—"<p>

The pain almost faded, Shai caught that last word and squealed in delight. "You mean like the knights use?"

Ghirahim grinned, running a tongue over his upper lip. "Of course. You may have to wait a while before I give you a sharp one, but…"

Shai licked his lip, too, though he had a feeling it wasn't quite the same. "What else does a slave get to do?"

Ghirahim pointed towards the clouds, and a long pathway made of translucent, amber diamonds appeared. Ghirahim stepped out on it to show it was safe and motioned for the boy to follow. "You will use magic, of course. Magic like mine—but not near as powerful. You must forget all about that land, am I clear?"

Shai looked back at his home, and his lips started to quiver. "But… Mama… Papa… I want them!" He started to run back to solid ground, but Ghirahim snagged his arm.

"You're mine now, little boy. I own you, and you will do as I say. You don't have a mama and papa anymore. Forget about everything you know, because it is obsolete." Shai trembled when Ghirahim took his chin in hand and forced him to stare right into his eyes. "Know that I do not take treason lightly. You will never return here unless I tell you to, and you will _never _disobey me. Understood?"

Shai didn't quite get everything, but he did get the basic point, and he didn't like it at all. He looked back at his home, sadness in his eyes. Everything he loved and knew was there. His friends and family. His games, and toys, and the academy, and the statue, and the plants, and the birds, and the Bazaar, and… and… Everything!

"N… No!" he shouted, jumping away. "No, I don't want to! I wanna go home!"

Ghirahim sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "Really now? Do I have to play the game this way?"

"Leave me alone!" He turned and ran down the path of jewels. He was almost there when his legs gave out and he crumpled weakly to the ground. It was that awful feeling again. He couldn't move. Couldn't speak. He hated this. He hated this so much it took away all the scary and just… just… just made him wanna hit something!

He felt something take hold of his foot, and soon he was being dragged across the seamless surface by the ankle, his homeland disappearing in the distance. Tears streamed down his face, leaving wet streaks on the floating path as Ghirahim pulled him along, carelessly letting him slide off once or twice and dangle over the edge precariously before pulling him back up.

Would the other boys know he was gone? Would they remember him? Did the magical Ghirahim take all their memories away? Would his mama and papa cry? Would they try to find him? What about the knight school students? Link? Zelda? Groose? Sure, they were little kids, but they were older than Shai, and maybe they could do something since they were in special school. Maybe—

Shai's train of thought screeched to a halt as a massive hole appeared in the clouds below. Ghirahim hoisted him up and over his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his waist as he twisted his hand, the diamonds falling from their anchorage on the land far away.

Now scared of being dropped in whatever was going to happen next, Shai attempted to wind his legs and arms around Ghirahim again, which was somewhat difficult considering his position.

"Oh? Are you going to be clingy again?"

Shai didn't really know what 'clingy' meant, but he didn't really care. Lowering his voice to a whisper as the lack of diamonds got closer, he mumbled to himself, shaking with fear.

"Please… Please, Master Ghirahim… I'm scared…"

"What's that?"

The open again was now just a few feet away, and Shai began to panic, his voice getting a little louder.

"Please, Master Ghirahim, I'm scared!"

Ghirahim slide the boy down and drew him close to his chest, allowing the human child to bury his face in the velvet cloak he wore.

"Scared of what?"

Now, only the platform directly beneath Ghirahim's feet remained. "I don't want to fall. Nothing's down there."  
>"That, skychild, is where you are undeniably wrong. Now, are you going to behave like a good little slave?"<p>

Shai nodded—what other choice did he have?

"Are you going to do all that I ask of you?"

Shai nodded again, assuming that was what a slave did.

"And you will never betray me or do something that makes me unhappy?"

Shai stopped. "I… I can try. How do I know what makes you unhappy?"

Ghirahim's voice became a low growl. "The word 'no' makes me unhappy. Defiance makes me unhappy."

Shai nodded. "I'll make you happy."

Ghirahim laughed gleefully. "Then you have nothing to be scared of!"

"But—"

And at that moment, the crystals below gave way, and Shai was no longer a Skyloftian child—he was the Servant of Master Ghirahim. What that meant, Shai didn't know. But for the moment, he was freefalling from a breathtaking height and the only thing he had to hold onto was… Master. So he did.

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><p><strong>A\N: So, that's basically how it happened. Shai went after the Blessed Butterfly, and his life was never the same. It's not said in here that his eyes are not a different color and so is his hair, but when he butterfly sank into his face, he got the form he holds in the other story. So, tell me what'cha think! I love getting reviews! No flames please! Flames will take away the rainbows in my heart! D:<strong>

**HOPE YOU LIKED IT! 3  
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	2. Author's Note

**A\N: I know you're not supposed to use a chapter space for an Author's Note, but I didn't want to take down the story and edit it and put it back up, so just real quick!**

**Some of you have said a continuation of this would be cool, and I wanted to let you know I have now posted a story titled "Busy Boy" and it is a collection of shorts about Ghirahim and Shai's relationship. From the night after he was kidnapped to the day of the tornado sucked Zelda down to the Surface. Obviously, it's not EVERY DAY, but it's just the notable moments—the fluffy ones and the bloody ones. Check it out if you want, and if not, please disregard this Author's Note!**

**THANKS! **


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